St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-09-19
AN OLD NANTUCKET SEA KING
A Little Biography With an An.
tiQue Flavor and Smack of the


tiQue Flavor and a Smack of the
Sea.
Chicago Times.
''There were lot of splendid ship
masters just passing off the stage when
/ was boy" says Nantucket man.
81 must say they seemed to me in char
acter, enterprise and lofty demeanor
fully equal to all had heard related of
their daring and enterprise.
''The greatest family of island ship
masters was the Vests. They were de-
scended in part from the noble 1chabod
Paddock, who removed to Nantucket
late in 1000, by invitation, to teach the
people how to catch whales. Charles
West married descendant of
this great whaleman. They had
son Stephen, who was master of ship
as early as 1902. Stephen was one of
the most successful of our shipmaSters.
He was bosom friend of the great mer-
chant, Jacob Barker; they were boys
together; in fact, Jacob has told lie
that Capt. West gave him his first start
in life. l saw the former in 1850, in his
eighty-ffth year, at the captains death
bed, asking him what he could do for
him in such tender, pathetic spirit
that fOrgave Mr.. Barker all he had
| omitted to do for his friend in life. In
1870 Capt. West commenced his career
as South sea whale fisherman, and
continued in it until 1913. when the
French troubles compelled its suspen-
sion. In 1900, however, he was away as
first lieutenant of the Oneida. twenty
| gun ship, bound on voyage to China,
via Cape Horn and the Marquesas
| islands, where she expected to lay in
her cargo of seal skins. The Oneida
OH
| turned with rich cargo of teas, silks
and nankeens. so profitable that it was
talked of in the counting rooms of all
our ports.
Whaling was just then reviving. The
ship John Jay, then in the China trade
was purchased, and Mr.. West went out
in her as first officer on voyage to
Brazil Banks. On his return, Seth
Russell q Sons, of New Bedford, offered
him command of the Dolphin, in which
he sailed on whaling voyage to the
South seas. She registered but 100
tons, and was probably the smallest
vessel that ever sailed on such a voyage.
Well out on the whaling grounds the
was leaking and was also very defective
in her upper works. Most commanders
would have come home. He put for
Delgoa bay, on the coast of Africa,
where he found a number of his towns
men in command of English, French
and American ships. He called to his
aid the carpenters and smiths of these
ships. went into the woods and cut
timbers, repaired his ship and
refastened her throughout. Then they
went for cruise off the Cape of Good
Hope, fell in with schools of whales,
filled the ship in six weeks, and were
home full, the first ship of the season.
Capt. Vests reputation was now as
sured. In the ship Martha he made two
voyages to the Brazil Banks and to Pat
agonia, taking upward of 1850 barrels
of sperm oil each time, but losing the
last-captured by the English ship MINI
rod in the war of 1912. On the return of
peace he made three seven months voy-
ages in his old ship Martha, returning
full each time. Then the Liverpool
packet Pacific was bought, and in her,
in seven months voyage, he took 2, 400
barrels of oil. He made a second vow
age with like results. He then per
formed his last voyage in the South
America, taking 700 barrels, and retired
from the sea. having brought $4,000 bar
| rels of oil into port. He died in 1859.
nearly eighty-fye years of age.